Pope Francis has died at 88, “the first [pope] in generations to make the Vatican feel less like a fortress and more like a field hospital.” / Migrant Insider

The Bush administration argued Guantanamo should be beyond the reach of the courts; CECOT is the Trump administration’s attempt at making that goal a reality. / Forever Wars

See also: El Salvador won’t let a US senator inside its prison, but influencers are welcome to enter and film propaganda videos. / X

An investigation into the crypto grift Trump and his family are undertaking right now, along with signs that show it’s going to get much worse. / Citation Needed

See also: “A little-known firm with investors linked to JD Vance, Elon Musk and Trump could get a piece of the federal expense card system—and its hundreds of millions in fees.” / ProPublica

The faculties at the Big Ten consortium of US universities are aligning to create a “mutual defense compact” against Trump’s attacks on higher education. / The Hill

In cases of aspiring tyrannies and the masses that oppose them, the group that’s better coordinated wins out. / Programmable Mutter

What happened to the DOGE “five things” emails: Apparently nothing, except in one case where an employee responded with profanities. / The Washington Post [+]

“We will toast to our freedom and everything he did in that nameless era.” How a famous Chinese author befriended his censor. / The Guardian

A study of texting habits finds that correspondents who use shorthand abbreviations are deemed “less sincere and far less worthy of a reply.” / Fast Company

Unrelated: Sam Atman says users who include “please” and “thank you” in their ChatGPT messages cost OpenAI “tens of millions of dollars” in computing power. / Futurism

The iPhone has been losing its luster in China, where consumers are embracing Chinese brands for the tech or for patriotism, or at least to appear patriotic. / Rest of World

On last week’s news about a distant planet’s atmosphere containing signs of biological activity: Other researchers in the field of exoplanet biosignatures say the claims are far-fetched. / Nature

Rising CO2 levels from climate change can increase the amount of arsenic in rice, though the varieties you buy and how you cook it could reduce your exposure. / BBC

The latest in American preppers’ home bunkers, which are replete with all modern conveniences, and often that means a concealed gun range. / The New York Times Magazine [+]